Cayo Police Prepare for Bye-Election

If you didn’t know there was a very significant election planned in Cayo North, you’d be hard-pressed to guess from the amount of political activity. Maybe it’s the timing, maybe it’s the Christmas and New Year lethargy…but whatever it is, there doesn’t seem to be the passion, fire, energy or urgency we generally associate with a general election. Be that as it may, the police are taking it seriously and today Deputy Commander in Cayo, Inspector Reymundo Reyes, told News Five that in the month since the announcement of the bye-election, they have been meeting with both U.D.P. candidate, Omar Figueroa, and P.U.P. candidate, Richard Harrison. And things seem to be under control.

Reymundo Reyes

Insp. Reymundo Reyes, Deputy Commander, Cayo Police

“We have had meetings with them along with Elections and Boundaries. We have visited the buildings that will be used on Monday for the elections and we are pretty sure that it will be properly secured by police officers during the entire day as well as during the time when the counting will be done. We treat it as any other elections that we have—either village council, town council or this being the bye-election. We make sure and ensure that security is there for the persons casting their votes as well as for the persons who are campaigning for either party at the time in the immediate area.”

Mike Rudon

“Have you gotten any indication or hint that there might be some trouble or any…because I know like Orange Walk, Cayo is considered one of the more volatile areas when it comes to politics?”

Insp. Reymundo Reyes

“Not at this moment. As I mentioned, we have been working closely with both candidates as well as people from Elections and Boundaries. We have visited the building both in Bullet Tree and here in San Ignacio so that we could ensure how proper we can police the area and we have the support of the Benque detachment as well as the support of the Belmopan detachment in this event. I believe that everybody is there and they have their rights to cast their votes and we just hope that they work along with us, the police officers who will be on the grounds at the entrance of each building or whatsoever. If they need any assistance, kindly approach us and inform us how best we could help them and we will assist them if we could.”

On the day of the election, establishments near the polling areas will be asked to desist from selling alcohol.